Creation of a public plan for health care has the potential to open a new front in the culture wars, by forcing the nation to decide whether coverage should include controversial procedures like abortion.
The potential for conflict does not necessarily mean that we should avoid the public plan; sometimes struggle is inevitable when deeply-held values clash. However, our eyes should be wide open as we decide, because a public plan may unnecessarily intensify all sorts of battles over medical ethics, also including fertility treatments, sex-change, euthanasia, and definition of family coverage.
On the other hand, a cooperative plan is less likely to become embroiled in a long-term stalemate mirroring the larger struggle. There are already a variety of faith-based health care cooperatives available, and these could diminish the need to fight over what is included in health care reform. Those who want nothing to do with practices they see as immoral can join other cooperatives that do meet their needs and their values.
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